Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Customizing a 50's pump to a unique GM theme?

OK...been hanging around for for a little bit now and have come to understand there are purist pump restorations, custom restorations, and pretty much everything in between. My 55 Chev is painted black and silver and I am now going to restore a pump to match the cars finish and customize the ad glass, globe and pump plates by having them custom painted by a local air brush artist. All will be done in a 1955 Chevrolet Style with BelAir on the Ad Glass, a period correct Logo hand painted on a frosted globe lens, and I'll strip and repaint a pair or pump plates correct to GM in 1955 to bring some GM advertising into the mix.

This will be done as a custom piece for my own use but have to ask? Have many people done this before and had pump plates, globes and ad glass custom made for something they liked. I've been searching around and the only thing GM that I have seen is the usual GM "OK" logo and "Genuine Parts" logo's that are painted on reproduction globes? Seems a bit odd that you don't see a lot of work that people have done to create custom themes or custom designed gas pumps around their favorite car or hotrod?

If you've got a picture of something custom or one of, please post them for others to see. I'd like to see some custom electrics that are car themed. I think the TriFive BelAir thing is going to be a big hit.

please post pictures as project moves along..

There's nothing wrong with custom paint on a gas pump. It can always be re-done by the next owner if he wants it to be historically correct. The next owner will most likely love it the way it is.

I think a cool two tone design could replicate the factory Chevy two tone line that comes angled down from the rear quarter window to horizontal chrome molding then angled down to the rear bumper. If that is the way your car is done, that same style line would look unmistakable Chevy. The chrome look could be done by your airbrush artist. For the most effect, you might do only the front third of the quarter panel two tone.

The look I'm talking about is shown on this link:
http://www.pbase.com/orangecones/image/89797980

Not a bad idea Jim. I'm looking to see how I can add some of the original stainless to the sides to break up the paint lines or might have my painter air brush some stainless trim onto it to replicate the mouldings. I have some cool ideas but don't want to let it all out until I'm rolling in the project.

I will update this thread with complete photo's of the project in a step by step orientation. It's gonna be awesome when it's done. Here's my car that it's being built around, and will show with the pump later this year.

Nice paint.

Thanks Craig...appreciate the comment!

I have been in this hobby for over 25 years now. I started out buying out bulk plants. Purchased over 100 gas pump from the first one, acquired over 100 more during the next year. Thought I would be the next Vic's, Gas Pump Heaven, supplier of gas pump parts and everything that went with them.
It didn't take me long to realise I didn't have the capital to do this, so we decided (Cindy and I) to sell off everything we had and concentrate on one thing. It was the ECO Air Meter.
It wasn't long before we became the worlds largest sellers of ECO parts. I also began selling restored ECOs, and I always tell everyone, my restored ECOs are the highest price ECOs being offered.
I also realized that I was not selling restored ECOs to the guys in the hobby,I was selling them to guys who were building Man Caves, everything based on the oil company they liked the most, or the car such in your case.
What you are doing is having fun, it doesn't matter if the colors are correct, do everything to match that great Chevy.
Since that car is from the 50s, get a ECO and restore it to match everything, or if you are interested in buying the most expensive, best restored ECO, see my website:
http://petrolianacollectibles.com/restored%20ecos.htm

Jack Sim

Good advice Jack. Planning to restore this one in the coming months, and mount it on the wall. It will be done in red to match the Texaco collection I have going on.

That's a Canadian version. We don't rebuild them because we have no way of calibrating them. Those screws holding the chrome on are bogus, they never were that way.
Don't wait too long to purchase any parts you might need, the company that was making the parts quit about a year ago, I purchased all I could, but we are starting to run out of some of the parts.

Check out this page of my website: http://petrolianacollectibles.com/eco%2090%20parts.htm

Jack Sim